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Skeptics, who claim that the experiment could lead to the creation of a black hole capable of swallowing the planet, failed in a legal bid to halt the project at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
I'm not a skeptic, are you? :)
Here's a question then, how do they remove all other particles from the thing to ensure that only the protons collide?
Fears have emerged that the collider could produce black holes that could suck up anything around them -- including the whole Earth. Such fears prompted legal actions in the U.S. and Europe to halt the operation of the Large Hadron Collider, alleging safety concerns regarding black holes and other phenomena that could theoretically emerge.
You get the feeling that legal action was started by people who really don't know just how weak single gravitons are. Half of them were probably green campaigners! :)
[edited by: Dabrowski at 2:57 pm (utc) on Sep. 10, 2008]
You know, the one where their sites are #1 ...
I think the 'alternate universes' outcome is the one most sought after.You know, the one where their sites are #1 ...
Since I first heard of this multiple universes theory I have always wondered why I am the one sitting in the office from 9 to 5 and not the millionaire on a tropical island "me" in one of the other multiple universes. Of course it could be worse. I could also be the "me" that got hit by a truck last year when crossing the street.
It also says in the article:
Others have branded it a colossal waste of cash, draining resources from its multinational collaborators that could have been spent on scientific research with more tangible benefits to mankind.
Stone Age Man 1 says to Stone Age Man 2:
Why are you experimenting with those wooden slices all the time. The time and resources would better be spent on something useful and more benefical like how we could transport our loot back to our caves more easily.
I am glad Stone Age Man 2 continued his experiments until the wheel was ready.
Fundamental research has never been easy...
Here's a question then, how do they remove all other particles from the thing to ensure that only the protons collide?
There is nice and short, comparison list in Nature journal
LHC by the numbers [nature.com]
Other interesting articles about LHC
[nature.com...]
Previous thread with link to some nice pictures
[webmasterworld.com...]
You get the feeling that legal action was started by people who really don't know just how weak single gravitons are.
There are a few bright skeptics out there, with more than just "Save the Planet" signs to back up their opinions:
[lhcdefense.org...]
Personally, I think it will go forward without a hitch. Enough new data to keep the best minds on the planet busy for a decade. :)
Jim
[google.com...]
It's time like these that I wish I had purchased a Silo Home for that extra "false" sense of security. Hey, if I'm going into the Black Hole, I will be hermetically sealed behind two (02) feet of nuclear blast proof concrete and steel. Not that it is going to help, but I may have an extra nano second more than others. :)
This is how:
* 10^-13 atmospheres = vacuum of the LHC's beamline.
for comparison
* 10^-12 atmospheres = atmospheric pressure on the Moon
That's some vacuum!
Never mind a black hole, a small puncture would be enough to suck up Germany at least.
Anyone got a pin? ;)
That's some vacuum!
